Card ball



Jilly I953 J. R. MONAHAN 2,645,486

' CARD BALL Filed April 24, 1951 JR-JlZbnakm INVENTOR,

ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARD BALL Joseph R. Monahan, Myrtle Creek, Oreg.

Application April 24, 1951, Serial No. 222,582

1 Claim. (01. 273-58) This invention relates to a game piece, and more particularly has reference to a game piece designed to represent any one of the playing cards of an ordinary deck of cards.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a game piece of the character described that can be used in card games in which the card balls or game pieces are to be mechanically dealt, and not touched by either the dealer or the players.

Another important object is to provide a card ball or game piece of the character described novelly designed in a manner to permit its being manufactured in a small, compact size, while yet being capable of being read either from above or from any of various points around a table on which the game is being played.

Yet another object is to provide a game piece of the type stated which wil1 be adapted for quantity manufacture at low cost, and which will be durable and tamper proof in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the game pieces or card balls.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken diametrically therethrough, a floating member incorporated in the game piece being illustrated in section.

Fig. 3 is a section through the game piece taken at right angles to the section of Fig. 2 and showing the floating member in top plan view.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the card ball or game piece formed according to the present invention includes complementary semispherical hollow sections I and 2. These are secured together by a glued lap joint 3, after one of the sections has been filled with water 4 or some other clear liquid.

Before the sections are secured together, a floating member 5 of any buoyant material is placed in the water. This is of flattened formation, and as to outer configuration, is shaped as a diamond, heart, club, or spade. If a joker is to be included, it is formed to a circular outer configuration.

Printed upon or otherwise formed on the opposite faces of the floating member 5 is a marking 6 to designate the value of the particular 2 game piece. Thus, in the illustrated example, which is only one of the fifty three that would ordinarily be used, a king of diamonds is represented by formation of the floating member into a diamond shape, and by the imprinting of the marking K on opposite faces thereof.

Any of various games can of course be played with the card ball. It is important to note, in this connection, that the card balls are particularly formed in a manner to permit their being agitated or mixed thoroughly in a mechanical device such as a cage, from which one card ball can be emitted at a time. When dropped, the card ball is fully visible, so far as identifying the floating member thereof is concerned, not only from above, but from all sides. This characteristic obtains by reason of the filling of the hollow sphere only half way, so that the floating member 5 floats in the middle of the sphere, and the particular formation of the floating member is such that it can be made practically to the diameter of the sphere, thereby to permit the floating member 5 to be of relatively large size as compared to the overall size of the sphere.

It will be understood that the sections I and 2 will be of a transparent material, such as clear plastic.

What is claimed is:

A game piece comprising hollow hemi-spherical transparent sections permanently secured together to form a hollow transparent sphere, liquid contained within said sphere, the volume of said liquid being equal to approximately one-half of the volumetric capacity of said sphere, a flat buoyant member contained within said sphere and floating on the surface of said liquid, the perimeter of said member being shaped to conform to the symbol of a playing card suit, and indices carried by opposite faces of the buoyant member for designating its value in the suit symbolized by its external configuration, said buoyant member being of only slightly less diameter than the sphere in which it is contained and being floated at approximately an equatorial axis of the sphere as a result of the volume of liquid contained in such sphere.

JOSEPH R. MONAHAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 484,115 Saxton Oct. 11, 1892 1,337,758 De Costa Apr. 20, 1920 1,538,455 Winkel May 19, 1925 2,237,883 Lipic Apr. 8, 1941 

